Vehicle tire and rim.



J. B. HALE.

VEHICLE TIRE AND RIM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNBG, 1911.

1,01 0, 1 37. 1 Patented Nov. 23, 1911'.

JAIlIES E. HALE, AKRON, OHIO, A SSIGNOR TO THE GOODYEAR TIRE AND RUBBER GOMPANY, 0F AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIG.

VEHICLE TIRE AND RIM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedNov. 28, 1921* Application filed Il'une 6, 1911. Serial l lo. 631,626.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jnwns ELLIs HALE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Imi on a wheel rim to thereby provide transverse grooves or spaces between coadjacent blocks whereby the elasticity of the tire and its road-gripping properties are increased.

The invention contemplates a vehicle wheel provided with a rim adapted to constitute a seat for a plurality of tire-forming blocks having outwardly-projecting tread portions which are integral with or mounted on base portions which extend laterally beyond the said faces of the tread portions to provide flanges having shoulders at the junctions of the two portions of the blocks.

The invention further contemplates providing novel means for holding the blocks on the wheel-rim in such a manner that they may be easily secured in position and readily removed to permit the removal of a worn block and its replacement. The retaining means for the blocks are so constructed that when in operative position they are constantly clamped on the base portions of the blocks to hold the latter against displace ment and wear and thereby increase the efliciency and life of the block by carrying out the well known rulethat the effective ness and life of an elastic block tire is in creased by a constant compression or pressure applied to the base portion ,thereof. The arrangement of the tire-holding means being such that when in position for use it compresses or places a tension upon the base portion of each block composing the tire.

.With the foregoing and'bther objects in View, the invention consists in the novel con struotion, combination and. arrangement of parts constituting the invention to be hereinafter specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form of Fig. 2; Fig; 2, is a plan view of embodies an outwardly-projt one or more longitudinally-extending a part hereof wherein is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modificationscan be resorted to which come within the scope of the claim to be hereunto appended.

In the drawings in which similar reference numerals indicate like parts in the different figures, Figure 1, is a view, in transverse section of the rim portion of a vehicle wheel having mounted thereon a tire composed of a plurality of blocks held in position by my improved.- device on line X vice shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, is side elevation of the device shown 1 and and, Figs. 4, 5, 3,7 and S showing various mechanisms empu holding a tire inposition on a wheel Referring to the drawings sp cifically, the reference numeral 1 denotes the felly of a vehicle wheel on which is mounted C0132 paratively wide fiat fellyatirn provided along each side edge wit a l "iv apertures, the members i mating in position with res cot l The rim is further provided} it ferential series of aperture tures being placed transversel of the apertures in both ofthe l terst 381.11

Mounted on the outer or sea fining cc of the felly rim :2 are a plural blocks constituting the tire an portion 3 with flaring flanges .t: from its base, the side edges of flanges being preferably inclined a 1 of approximately 45 with the otter r the rim. Each of these blocks is hi3 providedin the base portion t1 ening wires 5 extending lengthwise from end to end of each block. These blocks are customarily arranged on the outer surface of the rim in parallel series with the joints between the members of each series arranged in staggered relation or alternating with respect to the jOllltS between the blocks of a contiguous series.

The projecting flanges at the ends oi the blpcks are preferably fiat and are adapted to abut against each other when arranged on the felly rim 2 and in order to hold the ends of the blocks in position against move- 1w of nuts 10 on the threaded ends 9 and their.

end portions 7 provided with apertures 8 engaging in the'threaded openings along the ment or displacement I provide a plurality of 'L-shaped members 6 shown in Figs. 4 and 5 in which it will be noted that they consist of elongated bars provided with looped and at their opposite ends with down-turned threaded portions 9 approximately at right angles with the main portion of the bars. These bars are positioned by inserting their threaded ends 9 in the openings along-the lateral portions of'the felly rim' 2 and with their looped portions along the central portion of the rim. In thus positioning these bars they are so placed that they overlap the abutting ends of a pair of tread-forming blocks 3 and are held' in position by means inner portions are secured by means of capbolts 11 passing through the apertures 8 and central portion of the rim 2 and by means of the nuts 10 and the bolts 11 the bars 6 may be drawn inwardly onto the abutting ends .of the blocks for compressing and holding the latter detachably in position.

In order to hold those portions of the base of the tire along the median transverse central portion of the tire I employ a plurality of plates 12 shown in Figs. 6 .and. 7 each consisting of a curvilinearly-formed plate having the side faces thereof beveled at 13 which are adapted to rest upon the side faces of the base portions of the blocks 3 of contiguous series. These. plates are provided' at their ends with semi-circular grooves 14: and are adapted to be placed bet-ween the cap-bolts 11 and under the looped portions 7 of the bars 6, the grooves ltreceiving the bolts 11 so as not to inter fe're with the proper manipulation and see curing of the latter. It will be'noted therefore that as the cap-bolts 11 aretightened up they will press inwardly on the looped portions 7 of the bars 6 and force the plates 12 against the inclined side faces of the bases of adjacent blocks for compressing the latter and holding the same firmly against the outer or seat-forming face of the rim.2.

In order to hold the opposite side faces of the tire blocks in position on the rim I employ a plurality of clamping bars 15 each consisting of a segment-shaped bar which is best shown in Fig. 8 and in cross section in Fig. 1, and having one inclined face adapted to engage the inclined. lateral face of a block and having a general curvature approximately concentric with the outerface of the felly rim 2. These clamping bars are provided at their ends with reduced portions 16 which are adapted to be inserted under the bent portions of the bars 6 and of such a length that the ends of two. contiguous clamping ,bars may be set under and retained in position by one of the transverselyextending bars 6, so that when the latter are compressed or drawn inwardly toward. the outer face of the telly rim the ends of the two contiguous clamping bars 16 are simultaneously drawn in the same direction tending to compress and clamp the side faces of the blocks with which they engage. i

I claim:

A vehicle wheel embodyinga rim constituting a seat for a tire and provided with two series of spaced apertures, each aperture-of one series being complemental to an aperture of the other series, a circumferential series of tire-forming blocks mounted on said rim, each of said blocks comprising an outwardly-projecting tread-forming portion and laterally-projecting flanges at the base thereof, the joint between the abutting flanges of contiguous blocks being approximately coincident with. a line extending between two complemental apertures of different series, an L-shaped retaining bar hav-.

ing its shorter arm extending through one of sald complemental apertures and its oppositeend provided with an opening, and

means extending through said opening and into the other complemental aperture arranged to draw said bar inwardly toward said rim to clamp the abutting fia'nges of contiguous blocks for holding them snugy against said rim. a

In testimony WhereofIhave hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit-- nesses.

JAMES E. HALE. Witnesses C. E. H MPHREY, A. L. MoCLm'rooK. 

